Import Street Centerline from GIS Data to a 3D Model

So you import GIS data into AutoCAD or Civil 3D to get AutoCAD lines and use it for design and analysis. What if you could import the .SHP file and get a 3D model instead! What if you could click a button to import existing street centerlines for a project and get a 3D Model of the roadway including the curbs, sidewalks, medians, striping, as well as street lights, and with the 3D palm trees in the median, etc. all rendered and ready to for a presentation. Is this really true? Yes, it is.

Introducing Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler 2012

This is just one of the features of this new software released by Autodesk. I wanted to share this with you as I am learning and exploring.

This image shows Google Image and Google Surface imported in Civil 3D 2012 and then brought into Infrastructure Modeler 2012. The surface was imported via Land XML and the image as Raster Data Source.

This image shows the next step which contains the street centerlines data imported from GIS data either as a .SHP file or from .SDF file. In this case, I imported county wide GIS data into Civil 3D and then exported an SDF file for the project area which I then imported into Infrastructure Modeler.

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Gaurav Bagga

Gaurav Bagga
Senior Application Specialist Infrastructure

Gaurav is a Senior Application Specialist for Infrastructure Solutions at Ideate based out of San Francisco. He has over 18 years of experience in construction and related software industry. With this extensive design technology background he helps engineering and surveying companies, federal and state government agencies, and ENR 500 firms critically analyze and improve their construction drawing production process. He implements Civil infrastructure design technology led by InfraWorks and Civil 3D and has helped Ideate grow Civil Infrastructure Services. Being an industry recognized speaker he has presented cutting edge design technology at several industry conferences such as Autodesk University. Find Gaurav on Twitter.